published in The Atlantic
In this article, Applebaum and Pomerantsev analyze how the internet changed from an open environment of small communities and networks to a hierarchical structure where the vast majority of traffic passes through a few monopoly-like companies, whose algorithms determine what their users want. They look at the rise of disinformation and how the current regulatory environment removes any liability from the platforms that host them. They then propose a few ways we could think of a different internet, with companies regulated and held accountable for their side-effects, as well as ideas on how to rebuild the "social sphere" of our democracy.
1293 days ago